Natural hazards · Long Island

Long Island, ME natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Long Island comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Long Island?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Long Island to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from coastal flooding and inland flooding.

Coastal flooding36%Inland flooding22%Hurricanes20%Ice storms8%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Long Island faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Coastal flooding

36% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

22% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 2% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Ice storms

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Long Island flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Long Island, from FEMA’s records.

13paid claims since 1978

$218Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

April 2007 Nor'easter: 2 claims, $10K
The “Halloween” storm: 1 claim, $2K

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Long Island isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cumberland County.

Disasters that hit Long Island

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Long Island itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Long Island.

Brought FEMA money into Long IslandDeclared for Cumberland County only

2024

Severe Storms and Flooding

16 households applied for aid $51K aid approved $309K to the Town of Long Island for repairs

2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$10K to the Town of Long Island for repairs

2010

Severe Winter Storm

$285K to the Town of Long Island for repairs

2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$6K to the Town of Long Island for repairs

2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

2 households applied for aid

2005

Record Snow

$3K to the Town of Long Island for repairs

2005

Snow

$2K to the Town of Long Island for repairs

Cumberland County has had 33 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Long Island

Long Island and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Long Islandmostly coastal floodingLow

Falmouthmostly inland floodingLow

Portlandmostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Long Island covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Long Island’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Long Island. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Long Island total about $684K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.